Bhima Omkar Garlic Seed — Sowing & Yield Guide

Quick facts

Crop: Garlic
Type: Planting material
Season: Rabi
Maturity period: 120–135 days
Seed rate: 400–500 kg of cloves per hectare, selecting cloves heavier than 1.5 g
Expected yield: 100–120 q/ha
Suitable soil: Loam
pH: 6.0–8.0
Disease resistance: Good storage life
Release: Reported released around 2009 · ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research (DOGR), Pune. The DOGR primary page could not be reached

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

About this variety

Bhima Omkar is a short-day white garlic variety reported to have been released around 2009 by ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research (DOGR), Pune. It matures in 120–135 days for an average yield of 8–14 t/ha (80–140 q/ha) and produces medium-sized, compact white bulbs. It is one of DOGR’s "Bhima" series of releases (alongside Bhima Super, Bhima Purple, Bhima Kiran and others), all bred at the same Pune institute.

Should you pick this variety?

Pick Bhima Omkar if your plan is to store the garlic and sell when the price improves, rather than at harvest. ICAR-DOGR Pune released this short-day white type for Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan — bred for the northern and western plains rather than as a general all-India variety — and its compact bulbs have the keeping quality the whole Bhima series is known for. Its figures rest on secondary sources, as DOGR's own page could not be reached. For bigger bulbs choose Yamuna Safed-3, and for a purple-skinned early crop Bhima Purple.

Sowing & cultivation

Sowing timeOctober–November across Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan, with harvest in March–April. In Gujarat planting can start as early as September (ICAR-DOGR)
Seed rate400–500 kg of cloves per hectare, selecting cloves heavier than 1.5 g
SpacingRows 15 cm apart, cloves 10 cm apart, planted upright 2 cm below the soil surface
Sowing methodSeparate the cloves close to planting day, keep the basal plate whole, and dip them in 0.1% carbendazim. This variety is grown for storage, so a clean start against basal rot is worth the trouble
IrrigationFirst irrigation at planting, then every 7–10 days — 12–13 in all. Stop 10–15 days before harvest; continuing to water into maturity brings secondary rooting and sprouts, and a sprouted bulb cannot be held in store
Fertilizer100:50:50:50 kg NPKS per hectare with 20 t/ha farmyard manure in Haryana, and 75:40:40:40 in Gujarat and Rajasthan. One-third nitrogen with the full phosphorus, potash and sulphur at planting, the remaining nitrogen split at 30 and 45 days (ICAR-DOGR)

Full Garlic growing guideSowing time, nutrients, irrigation, pests, costs and prices for Garlic as a whole crop. This is the advice that holds for every variety.

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

Medium-sized, compact white bulbs with the storability that makes the whole "Bhima" series attractive for holding the crop before sale
Short-day type bred specifically for the northern/western plains growing belt rather than a generic all-India release

Things to consider

DOGR's own site could not be reached, so these facts rest on repeated secondary sources rather than a primary page.

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

Delhi
Gujarat
Haryana
Rajasthan

Curing and storing garlic until the price lifts

Bhima Omkar was bred by ICAR-DOGR, Pune for keeping quality, with compact bulbs meant to be held in store until the off-season price arrives. Storage is where the money on this variety is made, and most storage losses are decided in the two weeks around harvest.

Stop irrigation before harvest so the skin sets, and lift when the tops have dried down rather than while the leaves are still green. Cure the bulbs in the shade with the stalks on, in a thin layer, until the outer skin is papery and the neck is tight — garlic cured in direct sun scalds and garlic lifted damp rots from the neck. Then store in shallow heaps or crates in a dry, airy, shaded room, off the floor, and go through the stock every few weeks, taking out any bulb that has gone soft, mouldy or sprouted before it spoils its neighbours. Sell in lots as the market rises rather than waiting for one peak.

Can you keep your own planting material?

This crop is planted from cloves, not from a seed packet, so your own field can supply next season. Keep the biggest, firmest bulbs from a patch that stayed free of rot, and break them into cloves only at planting time. Plant the fat outer cloves — small inner cloves give small bulbs, every season. Bring in clean stock when the size starts slipping or rot shows up in store.

How it compares with other varieties

Every Garlic variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.

Variety	Best for	Maturity	Yield	States
Agrifound Parvati (G-313)	Hill garlic with very large bulbs and a long cool season	230–250 days	200–225 q/ha	Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand
Agrifound White (G-41)	The default plains white garlic, with good keeping quality	150–160 days	120–150 q/ha	Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh
Bhima Omkarthis page	Holding the crop in storage until the off-season price lifts	120–135 days	100–120 q/ha	Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan
Bhima Purple	An early purple-skinned crop with a market of its own	120–135 days	60–70 q/ha	Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh
Yamuna Safed (G-1)	Long storage before sale, with large sickle-shaped cloves	120–130 days	150–170 q/ha	Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
Yamuna Safed-3 (G-282)	Bold large-cloved white garlic for the export and premium trade	140–150 days	175–200 q/ha	Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh

Other Garlic varieties in the finder, for comparison.

Tools for this crop

The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Garlic is selling for.

Subsidy and government support

Schemes that help with the cost of Garlic seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bhima Omkar an NHRDF or a DOGR variety?

DOGR — sources checked in this research attribute it to ICAR-DOGR, Pune, as part of DOGR’s "Bhima" series (alongside Bhima Super, Bhima Purple, Bhima Kiran and others), all bred at the same Pune institute.

Which states is Bhima Omkar officially recommended for?

Every source found says Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan.

What does a short-day garlic mean for my sowing date?

Short-day types start forming bulbs while the days are still short, which fits the rabi season of the northern and western plains. Plant at the time your KVK advises for your district: too late and the plant runs into long days and heat before the bulb has filled.

Does a compact bulb sell for less?

At harvest a bigger bulb usually grades higher, so a variety like Yamuna Safed-3 can fetch more then. Bhima Omkar earns its place later: if it holds three or four months while bulk garlic prices rise, the off-season rate can beat the harvest-time premium on size.

Is Bhima Omkar from DOGR or NHRDF?

DOGR. It belongs to ICAR-DOGR Pune's Bhima series, alongside Bhima Purple and others, while the Agrifound and Yamuna Safed names come from NHRDF. Knowing the series helps when you ask a dealer for genuine seed cloves.

How many cloves do I need to plant one hectare of Bhima Omkar?

400–500 kg of cloves per hectare, choosing cloves heavier than 1.5 g. Sorting out the small cloves feels wasteful, but a small clove gives a small bulb, and in a crop grown to hold in storage the small bulbs are the first to shrivel.

How long does Bhima Omkar take, and what does it yield?

120–135 days for 100–120 q/ha. That is less than Agrifound White's 120–150 q/ha, and the case for it is storage life rather than weight: you are growing to sell later, not to sell more.